Water Found Inside Dragon
After Splashdown (Source: Aviation Week)
Technicians found a significant amount of water inside the latest
SpaceX Dragon capsule to land in the Pacific after a mission to the
Space Station, raising concerns the commercial cargo capsule leaked
after splashdown. A NASA official confirmed the anomaly, and said
SpaceX shifted the payload-unloading operation it usually conducts at
its MacGregor, Texas, facility to the dock at Long Beach, Calif., where
the capsule reached land after its recovery at sea.

An investigation into the cause of the problem is underway, according
to the official. Witnesses at the port observed significant water as
the cold storage containers brought back from the ISS were removed, and
there was a report the capsule’s internal humidity sensors tripped,
according to an industry source. The Dragon carried back water samples
for analysis to check the performance of the station’s recycling
system, but the amount of water in the capsule appeared to be more than
could be accounted for by a burst water-transport bag, according to
multiple sources. (5/21)

SpaceX Blames Helium Leak
for Falcon 9 Launch Delay (Source: Space News)
The May 9 cancellation of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket static test firing
ahead of a planned May 10 launch was caused by a helium leak in an
apparently different location from the leak that delayed the April
launch of a cargo supply mission. The launch, of six Orbcomm
machine-to-machine messaging satellites, has been rescheduled to June
11, with a backup date of June 12 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

After days of maintaining a silence in which was bred multiple industry
rumors, Shanklin on May 20 gave a brief summary of what stopped the
test firing on the day before the scheduled launch. “The issue was a
helium leak in a different location that wasn’t present during earlier
tests,” Shaklin said. “We are thoroughly reviewing the stage before
clearing it for flight, as we want to make sure that no further such
issues occur. (5/21)

Physicist Turned ‘Rocket
Man’ Looks to the Sky with SpaceX (Source: Symmetry)
Sam Waldman applied for a job at SpaceX in 2012, after he and his wife,
also a scientist, both decided to search for employment in the same
geographic area. He found he was well suited for the small, private
spaceflight company, which had a similar environment to academia and
required good problem-solving skills, broad-based knowledge and
experience in building things. Click here.
(5/20)

For Iridium, NEXT is PRIME
(Source: SpaceRef)
Eight months after announcing Iridium PRIME, a turnkey hosted payload
solution, Iridium is proceeding full speed ahead with the venture after
garnering enough support from potential customers. Built on the legacy
of Iridium NEXT and leveraging the supply chain know-how from that
program, Iridium PRIME is the next commercial product in the pipeline.

Iridium NEXT is Iridium's next generation satellite constellation of 66
satellites with 6 onorbit spares and 9 ground spares. The NEXT
constellation will be deployed between 2015 and 2017 on SpaceX Falcon
9's and the Russian Dnepr, the converted Russian ballistic missile. The
Falcon 9 can launch 10 Iridium satellites at one time while Dnepr can
launch two. (5/21)

ATK Brings NASA's Space
Launch System One Step Closer to 2017 Flight (Source:
SpaceRef)
NASA and ATK are one step closer to meeting a 2017 launch date for
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) after completion of a significant
structural test of the booster's main attachment mechanism. The article
tested was a major load-bearing structure known as the forward skirt.
The attach point on the forward skirt is where the main stage attaches
to ATK's five-segment solid rocket boosters. (5/21)

Lockheed Machinists at
Stennis Vote to End Strike (Source: Reuters)
Lockheed Martin said on Tuesday that more than 100 union members who
had been on strike at Mississippi's Stennis space center since late
last week voted to accept the company's contract offer and would return
to work on Wednesday. Members of the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers began picketing on Friday after
rejecting a Lockheed contract offer. Stennis is home to NASA's Rocket
Propulsion Test Program, which manages the agency's propulsion test
facilities. (5/21)

First Seeds to be Planted
Soon on Mars (Source: Space Daily)
The first seeds germination experiment is about to be launched on Mars
(Mars Plant Experiment, MPX). Greenhouse, small transparent cube, will
be attached to the outer surface of the new Mars rover, that will be
launched in mid-2020 and will land on the Red Planet in early 2021.
Scientists hope that this study will be useful in the development of
the Mars exploration program.

During the Martian summer day soil at the equator of the planet is
warming up to +20 degrees Celsius. It is tempting to plant the seeds
directly into the open ground, close them with the transparent shell
and pour them with water from earth. But even if the plant does not
freeze at night, it will still die.

The planet's atmosphere is composed of carbon dioxide with the absence
of oxygen that is essential for plants to grow in the dark. In
addition, its pressure is about 160 times lower than on Earth. In such
a vacuum cell gas exchange is hardly possible. However, if to open the
greenhouse, it is possible to "release" the earth's life outside,
violating Martian environment. (5/20)

Scientists Seek Answers
With Space Station Thyroid Cancer Study (Source: Space
Daily)
The multi-national efforts that go into research aboard the
International Space Station show that working together can yield
results with universal benefits. This is especially the case when
talking about human health concerns such as cancer. Researchers make
use of the microgravity environment aboard the space station to seek
answers to questions about the nature of cancer cells.

With the Microgravity on Human Thyroid Carcinoma Cells
(Cellbox-Thyroid) study, recently conducted in orbit, the hope is to
reveal answers that will help in the fight against thyroid cancer. The
Cellbox-Thyroid study is enabled through a collaborative effort between
NanoRacks, Airbus Defense and Space, the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to
facilitate the microgravity investigation aboard the space station.
(5/21)

Roscosmos Plans Equipment
for Monitoring Space Debris (Source: Space Daily)
Roscosmos has announced a tender for the production and supply of
optical-electronic complexes for detection and measurement of the
movement parameters of space debris; the initial (maximum) price of the
state contract is 363 million rubles (over $10.5 million). The works on
manufacturing and testing the equipment should be controlled by the
military agency of the Russian Defense Ministry, the document says.
(5/21)

Shelton Prefers New U.S.
Main Engine Over Domestic RD-180 (Source: Space News)
Should recent geopolitical events ultimately prompt the U.S. government
to build a domestic alternative to the Russian-built RD-180 engine that
powers one of its workhorse rockets, it probably makes more sense to
develop one from scratch rather than use the Russian design, according
to U.S. Air Force Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space
Command. (5/20)

Russian Commission Still
Mystified by Cause of Proton Failure (Source: Space Policy
Online)
The Russian commission investigating the Proton rocket failure on May
15 remains mystified by the cause of the third-stage malfunction. The
head of the investigative commission, Alexander Danilyuk of Tsniiimash,
said the guidance system "operated fault-free" and that the commission
also ruled out "miscalculation." Meanwhile, Russian space agency head
Oleg Ostapenko said that a sharp pressure drop was detected in the
third stage control engine's piping, but the reason is unknown. (5/20)

Satellite Services and
Manfacturing Revenue Up in 2013 (Source: Space Policy
Online)
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) released its annual report on
the state of the satellite industry yesterday. The report, prepared for
SIA by the Tauri Group, found that global revenues for the satellite
industry in 2013 were $195.2 billion, up 3 percent from $188.8 billion
in 2012. Of the four segments of the satellite industry
identified in the report, global revenues for only one -- the satellite
launch industry -- fell compared to 2012. (5/20)

Space Foundation: Space
Economy Grew by 4 Percent in 2013 (Source: Space Policy
Online)
The Space Foundation released its annual report on the state of the
space economy, asserting that the global space economy grew by 4
percent in 2013 reaching a new record of $314.17 billion. Government
spending around the world accounts for less than a quarter of that
amount, and was less in 2013 compared to 2012 "as significant cuts in
the U.S. space budget were only partly offset by growth in the space
budgets of other countries."

The reduction in U.S. Government space spending was both in civil and
national security space primarily because of the sequester. NASA's
spending dropped from $17.77 billion in FY2012 to $16.85 billion in
FY2013, for example. Calculating how much the U.S. spends on national
security space is a challenge since so much information is classified
and space activities are not grouped together into a single account in
the DOD budget. The Space Foundation estimates that it was $21.72
billion in FY2013. Adding in funding for other agencies like NOAA and
NSF, it uses $41.257 billion as the total for U.S. government space
spending in 2013, 9.4 percent less than 2012. (5/20)

Lockheed Martin Seeks To
Americanize Orion’s European Service Module (Source: Space
News)
Lockheed Martin is working to get American parts onto the European
service module slated to power the first crewed flight of the Orion
deep-space capsule the company is building for NASA. The European Space
Agency is providing the service module for that flight, notionally
slated for 2021, and for an uncrewed 2017 precursor. Both missions will
send Orion to the same distant lunar retrograde orbit.

These service modules will be derived from the Automated Transfer
Vehicle ESA used to carry cargo to the space station. ESA agreed to
provide Orion service modules in 2013, displacing a domestic option
from Lockheed. Now, for financial reasons, ESA prime contractor Airbus
Defence and Space may provide only “one and a half” service modules,
Larry Price, Lockheed’s Orion deputy program manager, said.

“They may not complete both of them, depending on funding,” Price said.
But “we think we can drive Europe’s cost down so they can deliver two
complete service modules” by steering the European company toward
American suppliers already working on the Orion crew module. “If we use
common parts, they can be lower price,” Price said. He added that ESA
is set to deliver a full service module for the 2017 flight. (5/20)

Certified Falcon-9 Could
Meet DOD Need for Redundancy (Source: Space Politics)
From a reader comment: "If the Air Force wants to continue to have
redundant access to space, which is a good thing, then all they have to
do is accelerate the certification of the Falcon Heavy. That’s it. And
since they would have been spending money to certify the Falcon Heavy
at some point anyways, this is essentially a ZERO cost solution for the
Air Force. That means the Atlas V ... becomes a third assured access to
space system, and no longer the 2nd alongside Delta IV."

Editor's Note: It seems we're moving toward the kind of environment that the Air Force had hoped for at the start of the EELV program, where competitors served both government and commercial launch markets to keep costs low. (5/21)

Should the Government
Fund an RD-180 Replacement? (Source: SPACErePORT)
The space blogosphere is alive with opinions on the RD-180 issue. Some
ask why the U.S. Government should fund the development of a U.S.-made
alternative to Russian-made RD-180s, when the new engine would benefit
only one company. (5/20)

Amid Attacks, ULA
Outlines Some EELV Pricing (Source: Aviation Week)
United Launch Alliance (ULA) says the per-unit cost of its Atlas V 401
– the launcher roughly equivalent in lift capability to SpaceX Falcon 9
v1.1 bursting into the market – costs $164 million apiece under a newly
inked agreement with the U.S. Air Force. ULA CEO Mike Gass shared the
figure for the first time in response to unrelenting criticism from
rival SpaceX that ULA’s launches cost far too much for the taxpayer.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has cited a per-unit cost for ULA's Atlas V
and Delta IV launchers of $460 million. Gass bristles at this figure.
He says that number came from a rudimentary look at the annual budget
line for EELV divided by the number of launches, but that encompasses
sweeping launch costs, including certification funding for SpaceX. And,
he says, it is not an accurate "apples-to-apples" cost to SpaceX’s
Falcon 9 v1.1.

SpaceX advertises a $100 million-per-launch price for the Falcon 9
v1.1, including satisfying $30 million for an added layer of government
oversight not included in its commercial launch pricing. SpaceX, Gass
says, has an "overcommitted manifest," adding that it is time for the
company "to prove its technology [and] match its rhetoric with
performance." (5/20)

SpaceX Overcommitted?
Focus on Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
Remember Beal Aerospace, the startup launch company founded and
bankrolled by a weathy industry outsider in the late 1990s? Beal was
developing a heavy-lift launch vehicle intended to cost much less than
the Atlas and Delta rockets. Beal closed its doors in 2000, after
(among other things) overextending its resources in pursuit of multiple
launch sites.

The cost and complexity of SpaceX's launch operations will increase if
the company establishes a third launch site in Texas, which could
overcommit the company's resources at a time when it should be
simplifying and focusing on efficiency. Focusing on expansion at the
Cape Canaveral Spaceport would allow SpaceX to use its existing Florida
workforce and facilities more efficiently. (5/20)

Inmarsat Used Just 14
Numbers to Determine Flight Path of MH370 (Source:
Newsweek)
Inmarsat said it will release all the data it used to determine the
final path of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to help reassure
relatives that authorities are searching in the right location.
Inmarsat said in a joint statement with Malaysia's Department of Civil
Aviation (DCA) on Tuesday the data communication logs, or raw data,
would be released along with an explanation of the analysis used to
work out the route.

In the hours after the aircraft disappeared, an Inmarsat satellite
picked up a handful of pings from it, indicating that the plane
continued flying for hours and helping narrow the search to an area of
the Indian Ocean. An Inmarsat spokesman said the data communications
log comprised 14 pieces of data from seven "handshakes," or pairs of
numbers, between the aircraft and the satellite. One number is time
information, the other is frequency. (5/20)

FedEx Starts 'Space
Solutions' Service (Source: FedEx)
FedEx Space Solutions, launched this week, is a turn-key shipping
solution for the space industry. Whether a package is headed to a
launch site or beyond, FedEx experts can work with space customers to
design a plan for moving their sensitive materials safely and quickly.
Space Solutions is a one-stop shop for all questions related to
shipping assets going to or returning from space.

When a customer calls the Space Desk, we go in to action, answering
questions and tapping into the expertise across the enterprise to
assemble a customized solution for each space-bound shipment. Click here.
(5/20)

Private Team Hopes to
Contact 36-Year-Old NASA Probe (Source: Space.com)
A private crowdfunded team will attempt to make contact with a
1970s-era NASA spacecraft this week, the first major step in an
ambitious effort to repurpose the retired probe. Members of the group,
which met its $125,000 crowfunding goal last week, have traveled to
Puerto Rico, where they'll use the powerful Arecibo Observatory to beam
messages to the International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 probe, or ISEE-3.
The spacecraft launched in 1978 and ceased science operations in 1997.

The team has raised about $132,000 as of today (May 19). Over the
weekend, the ISEE-3 Reboot Project extended the fundraising campaign
to May 23, asking donors to help meet a "stretch goal" of
$150,000. The extra money will be used to rent NASA's Deep Space
Network scientific telecommunications system, which the team will use
to stay in touch with ISEE-3 spacecraft, project leaders said. (5/20)